Guanzi Pu

Guanzi Pu (官子谱 Hanyu Pinyin: guānzǐpǔ) is a classic, Chinese problem collection originating from the mid-seventeenth century. The Guanzi Pu is noted as the largest problem collection from the classical period, containing 1473-problems. The first author/editor was Guo Bailing in 1660. The collection was edited again by Tao Shiyu in 1689.

Originally, the name Guanzi Pu implied endgame/technique problems, but over time quickly grew to include broader demonstrations in attacking & exploiting shape. For example, how to live with optimal endgame shape and how to exploit the bad shape of a defender for maximum gain. As such, the Guanzi Pu contains many duplicate problems, but with different answers teaching the reader how to exploit the shape for different game situations (such as ko or reduction).

According to the preface, many problems are taken out because they didn't actually work. Also many problems have been revised to correct earlier mistakes. Explanations of the solutions are also added. Also explained is that Guanzi doesn't mean endgame in ancient Chinese, but rather technique in general. It is only in modern Chinese that Guanzi has come to mean endgame. In the edited version the whole book is separated into 6-chapters:

March 1996 edition by Sichuan Go Art Publishing (蜀蓉棋艺出版社) is an older version of the one by Chengdu Shidai Publishing with a different cover. (Sichuan Go Art Publishing is the former name of Chengdu Shidai Publishing.)

Copies of the book may be purchased from Jiang Mingjiu directly. Please contact him at mingjiu7p@hotmail.com should you wish to purchase one or more copies of the March 1998 printing.

Logan?: This version is difficult to use, I don't recommend it. The only way to use it is to lay each problem out on a board and make an effort not seeing the solution while doing so. This makes the portable use of the tsumego collection nearly useless -- whether work, school, or home. Since you're going to be sitting down with a board to use this, then one might as well do so on the computer, reading from one of the many free online versions of this classic.

Go Seigen provided the commentary for a Japanese 4-volume set. The set is supposedly the most complete version of the Guanzi Pu -- containing all the problems (including hitherto incorrect ones).